Gas dryers have a gas burner that does the heating; electric dryers have electric heating elements. Both types utilize electricity for the controls and the motor that turns the drum.

Gas dryers are combustion appliances. When they burn gas, they give off noxious carbon dioxide gas that must be vented to the outdoors. If the dryer’s spot in the laundry area is equipped with a gas line and an appropriate vent that exhausts to the outdoors, a gas dryer is usually favored over an electric one because gas is less expensive in most regions. If there is no gas line but there is a 240-volt outlet, you may want to opt for an electric dryer.